1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices used to enhance the identification and visibility of hoses carrying fluids to aid and alert persons as to the location and contents of the hoses. The new device is particularly helpful in low visibility conditions which may occur in the fire fighting, construction, petroleum, aviation and other industries that utilize hoses to transport fluids.
2. Description of Related Art
A primary concern at night for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, pilots, and safety personnel is the low visibility of objects that may pose a hazard. In urban areas, where night time construction operations are increasingly a common occurrence, the use of air and water hoses have been encountered by the public and sometimes pose a traffic hazard when not adequately marked or identified. Vehicles or cyclists may be damaged or injured when a metal hose coupling is hit, and conversely a hose itself may be damaged by a passing vehicle. At airports, seaports, and at industrial plants where dark rubber hoses are used to convey water, oil, fuel, or sewage, personnel are susceptible to walking into or driving over such hoses particularly in low light areas. During night time operations on naval or commercial ships where inadequate lighting exists, crew members are likely to trip over unmarked hoses or have difficulty identifying what the contents of the hoses are such as an oil, fuel, or water hose having the same outer fabric material. In poorly lit areas such a condition may result in an injury to personnel or damage to a hose and associated appurtenances.
Similarly, fire fighters may experience some difficulty locating fire hoses laid across streets, and hoses previously advanced inside structures during night time conditions. An important aspect to fire fighters is the necessity to have all fire fighting equipment visible and easily identifiable during an emergency situation. It is quite common to see municipal fire departments mark emergency equipment such as fire engines, fire axes, and ladders with highly visible signs, paint, reflecting decals, and lights. These safety measures allow emergency personnel to quickly identify, and subsequently put their emergency equipment into immediate use. However, one of the most important pieces of equipment used for fire suppression is the fire hose which is typically unmarked for night time use. Some fire hoses have been manufactured with a yellow fabric which is highly visible during the day when first purchased; however, shortly after being dragged on oily pavement, dirt, or through charred rubble these types of fire hoses lose their visibility even after being cleaned. Typically, these yellow or orange hoses have no reflective properties. Such low visibility conditions as encountered at night can be improved with the use of high visibility collars having enhanced reflectance properties attached to hoses. The use of such collars to increase visibility of fire hoses is much more economical than purchasing a new hose or painting a hose which may be labor intensive. The high visibility, highly reflective collars may also be used to indicate ownership, hose contents, size and other information indicating whether the contents are hazardous, low hazard, or nonhazardous.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,000 issued Jul. 4, 1989 to Clement discloses a flexible band or clamp with directional fingers protruding perpendicular from the band. The band may be visually seen or felt by fire fighters to indicate the direction of the water connection source. The embodiments described include a steel spring clamp capable of being slipped over an unrolled fire hose and a flexible band with fastener which encircles the fire hose and may remain on a stored fire hose. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 312,390 issued Nov. 27, 1990, and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 245,519 issued Mar. 29, 1994, both to Clement, show various embodiments of the directional bands as basically described in Clement's Patent No. 4,844,000.
However, various problems may occur with using the Clement inventions if not used with water conveying fire hoses. For example, the spring clamp embodiment can corrode if made from flexible steel; when in contact with chemicals or salt water the steel must be covered with some suitable corrosion and heat resistant material. Secondly, the clamp embodiment must have an opening along its circumference allowing attachment onto the fire hose; therefore, the resulting sharp edges of the metal spring clamp must be rolled to avoid tearing the fire hose. Third, the steel spring clamp, being a ferrous metal, could cause a spark when it is scraped against a hard surface such as concrete while the fire hose is being dragged. Such a condition creates a dangerous situation for emergency personnel when the hard surface has spillage with a flammable liquid such as gasoline; fire fighters have routinely encountered vehicles damaged by accidents leaking flammable liquids onto street and highway pavement.
Furthermore, the embodiments of U.S. Pat. No. Des. 312,390 and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 245,519 do not allow for night time visual identification of a fuel, oil, or water hose with different coupling system other than threaded couplings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,890 issued Apr. 29, 1997 to Lenske, discloses a fire hose coupling indicating the direction to a safe exit by both tactile and visual means. The coupling can be attached to a threaded end of a fire hose; however, the embodiment of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,890 does not allow for the attachment to hoses with different coupling systems such as a non-threaded quick-connect couplings or to the non-coupling portion of the hose.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,741 issued Jul. 2, 1991 to Smith, et al. discloses an embodiment for a fire hose with annular members attached to the outside surface of the hose with clasps for providing a direction for escaping a fire. U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,741 does not disclose a preferred material for the annular members, the flexibility of the annular member, nor whether or not the annular member is corrosion resistant to be used with other chemical conveying hoses. Such an embodiment may therefore not be suitable for other types of hoses other than conventional canvas jacketed rubber fire hoses.
In addition to the above, another practical use for a high visibility collar is for the identification of hoses used in various construction projects. In dark underground projects such as mines and tunnels where air and water hoses are commonly used, the subject device will enhance the visibility and identification of such hoses. Similarly, overhead and ground hoses used in conjunction with oil drilling operations may be more visible to drilling crew members when visibility collars are applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,784 issued Aug. 18, 1992 to Niwa discloses a pipe marking collar comprising of "C" shaped flexible bands clamped onto a pipe. The marking collar may have colors or symbols to indicate the contents of the pipe or direction of flow. U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,784 further discloses the material of the collars being made out of kevlar or plastic. Although U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,784 allows for the attachment to a rigid pipe, the invention does not allow a means of attachment to a flexible hose where it must be able to withstand the sudden expansion or change in shape caused by high fluid pressure such as occurs through a fire hose. Furthermore U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,784 has an inherent problem when it cannot be attached to a hose which may be stored in a flattened coil or roll and then put into immediate use such as a fire hose.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,712 issued Jan. 27, 1981 to Vander Wall discloses an identification system for pipe and conduit which includes a marker of rigid material used to indicate the nature of contents and flow direction. Use of this invention may work on a fixed rigid item such as a pipe; however, a problem occurs when the marker cannot be attached to a flexible hose which may be dragged on the ground when in use. A fundamental aspect to carrying out any operation whether related to fire fighting or construction work is safety. The application of safety devices to make equipment more visible, such as the high visibility hose collar, will ultimately contribute to the prevention of accidents, injuries, and property damage.